Infanta Elena of Spain and her husband of 14 years, Jaime de Marichalar, are taking legal steps to end their marriage, according to sources in the Spanish royal household.

The news ends two years of speculation about the relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Lugo, who announced their “temporary separation” in November 2007.

They have yet to reach an agreement on the terms of their split. Details to be decided include the exact nature of Jaime de Marichalar’s future position in the royal family and his visiting rights to the couple’s two children Felipe Juan Froilán, 11, and Victoria Federica, nine.

The couple have tried hard to save their troubled marriage for the sake of their children. Since their separation, the Duke of Lugo, 46, has several attended royal engagements alongside Spain’s King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia.

Infanta Elena - the elder daughter of the Spanish King and Queen - married Jaime de Marichalar in Seville Cathedral in March 1995 in what was the first royal wedding in Spain in nearly 90 years.